Throughout my field experience, I observed Ms. Johnson teach various lesson to the class.

Of the many lessons I observed, two lessons caught my attention regarding the way the students were assessed. The mathematics lesson focused on patterns, and the science lesson focused on rocks. The various types of assessments used by Ms. Johnson include observation, oral questions, selected response, brief constructed response and performance. I took note of how each assessment was administered, to whom the assessment was administered, and how the assessment data was used by the teacher. During the process of both lessons, Ms. Johnson took note of the students reactions and understanding of the information. This was the first kind of informal assessment that I noticed. Ms. Johnson used observation to decide whether or not she should explain the content again, give more examples, or continue to the next part of the lesson. Because it was an informal assessment, it was difficult me for to tell which students Ms. Johnson observed. Once the lesson was complete, I asked Ms. Johnson which students she observed. She explained to me that during the beginning of the lesson, she paid attention to all the students; however, as the lesson progressed, she did more observation on those students who were having difficulty understanding the content. The informal assessment was used during both the mathematics and science lessons. Ms. Johnson explained that she uses observation throughout all of her lessons. In the mathematics lesson, Ms. Johnson used selected responses and oral questioning to assess the students. Throughout the entire lesson, she continued to ask the students questions regarding the content. The questions were used to make sure the students understood the problem solving process and steps. Several examples were provided for students to do practice. On each example, the students had to show their work of how they got their answer. By showing their work, Ms. Johnson was able to see where the students were having difficulty solving the

problem. The selected response assessment contained both multiple choice questions and fill in the blank questions. The test was administered to all of the students in the class. During the test, each student had a desk divider to cover their test. When looking over the assessments, it was apparent that some students just put numbers and did not attempt to work out the problem. The assessment data was then used by Ms. Johnson to see which students needed to review the information from the lesson. She would then ask me to work with those groups of students, so that they may have a better understanding. In the science lesson, oral questioning was also used as Ms. Johnson continued to teach the lesson. The questions referred to the content that Ms. Johnson just taught. The assessment at the end of the lesson contained both selected response questions and brief constructed response questions. The test was given to all of the students within the classroom. Just like the mathematics test, desk barriers were used to prevent students from cheating off of each other. The selected response questions dealt more with facts about rocks. The brief constructed response questions required the students to write a short answer to the question. For example, one of the questions was comparing and contrasting igneous rocks and sedimentary rocks. The last assessment used was a performance. The students were required to do a project. For the project, students had to create an advertisement for a specific rock explaining all of its characteristics and uses. After observing the various types of assessments that Ms. Johnson used, I realized that not all students perform at their best for all types of assessments. Some students performed better on selected response questions while others excelled at answering brief constructed response questions. I learned that assessment plays a major role in instruction within a classroom.